1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intelligent access authentication system and method and, in particular, to an intelligent access authentication system and method using a smart communicator (SC) for allowing an operator to communicate with a visitor and remotely control an entry.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the technologies rapidly developed in various fields, residential and commercial living and working environments. For example, integration of household electronics such as electric appliances, lighting apparatuses, cooling and heating apparatuses, door locks, gas valves, etc., has improved quality of life in many houses.
Home automation is a field specialized in the specific automation requirements of private homes and in the application of automation techniques for enhancing the comfort and security of occupants of these automated homes. For example, home automation can be implemented by remote controlling household appliances, a video door phone system for communicating with a visitor on a video screen, a security mechanism for detecting and alarming intruders, an alarm system for detecting and providing an alarm of gas leakage and fire, and a meter reading mechanism for remotely reading the utilization meters.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a video door phone system as a part of the home automation. The user can identify the visitor using the video door phone system.
As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional video door phone system includes a door phone 10 installed outside of the door and a video phone 20 is installed anywhere inside of the home so as to support voice communication. The door phone 10 has a camera 12 for capturing one or more images of the visitor and the video phone 20 has a display 22 for displaying the visitor's image taken by the camera 12 such that the resident and the visitor can communicate using the door phone 10 and video phone 20.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional home automation system, in which a home server controls a video door phone system and the electric appliances connected through a home network.
As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional home automation system includes a home server 30 having a display 32 such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) for displaying images from the camera, and equipped with various home automation functions.
The home server 30 can identify the visitor using the voice obtained through the door phone 10 and the image taken by the camera 12. Also the home server 30 is implemented to connect with a wide area network (WAN), which is widely structured computer communication network, such that the electric appliances 40 can be remotely controlled through the WAN. The home server 30 is provided with a storage so as to store and playback the voice and image taken by the camera 12.
In the conventional home automation system, however, the resident cannot remotely communicate with the visitor when he/she is not home.
Also, the conventional home automation system has limited functional capabilities which are basically limited to providing a visitor identification, video phone, home security, and voice and video functions. Additionally, video and voice data can be recorded.
Moreover, although conventional home automation systems provide remote functions that can be accessed using a telephone connector or the Internet to control electric appliances constituting a home network they cannot remotely provide real-time communication a visitor.
Also, the conventional home automation system based on the Internet can control the household appliances and detect dangerous situations such as intrusion, fire, or gas leakage using the remote computer, handheld phone, and other wireless communication terminal that support the Internet connection. However, the conventional home automation system does not support the bidirectional communication between the home server with the remote user such that the user cannot remotely check visitors and/or control door locks and other electronic devices of the home network in bidirectional manner.